2 WIDELY ACCESSIBLE MEDIA FOR GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF PHYTOPHTHORAAND PYTHIUM SPECIES

Tomato agar and soybean agar were found to be comparable to or in some cases better than the popular V8 vegetable juice agar in supporting l inear growth of Phytophthora cactorum, Phytophthora capsici, Phytophth ora parasitica, Pythium aphanidermatum, and Pythium splendens; sporang ium production of P. capsici, P. palmivora, and Pythium splendens; and oospore formation of P. cactorum, P. parasitica, Pythium aphanidermat um and Pythium splendens. These two media with readily accessible ingr edients can be used to substitute for V8 juice agar in pathological an d physiological studies of these two important groups of fungi in coun tries where V8 vegetable juice is not available or difficult to obtain .